The contract was signed that day, and they received the brass key immediately. That evening, they moved out of the official residence with all their belongings.
Yan Rongshi was in the middle of hearing a case and couldn't leave, so he instructed Sui Miao to drive the carriage and take a look at the new house.
Following the directions from the Ying family, the carriage drove along West Gate Inner Street for a short distance before turning into the quiet entrance of Frog Alley. When they stopped outside the new house, Sui Miao was quite pleased.
"The location is good, not too far to walk to the Ministry of Justice. It's also convenient for Miss Ying to go to the butcher shop."
He called over a few of Yan's attendants to help carry the Ying family's packages into the house.
The Adoptive Mother stood under the large swaying parasol tree, exchanging polite words with Sui Miao: "Please convey our thanks to the young master. We can't stay at his place, but we appreciate his kindness."
Sui Miao was equally courteous, saying, "The young master instructed that everything should be according to the Ying family's wishes. It's all part of our duty..."
Suddenly, an extremely loud cough came from the northwest direction.
The coughing was continuous, loud, and violent. Compared to this earth-shaking sound, the Adoptive Mother's previous cough seemed insignificant.
An old voice shouted hoarsely, "Who's living in my house?"
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
Ying Xiaoman was the first to react, "The old servant next door! Wasn't he supposed to be deaf and blind?"
The Adoptive Mother also realized, saying with frustration, "A deaf and blind old servant, but he's not mute!"
Not only was he not mute, but it seemed he wasn't completely deaf or blind either.
When Ying Xiaoman went to open the narrow northwest door, the old servant in brown cloth clothing was standing right there. He opened his cloudy eyes and looked the three new Ying family members up and down carefully.
Though advanced in years, the old servant appeared quite robust. His voice was like thunder, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Who are you, living in my house?"
The Adoptive Mother went over to greet him, "Elder, we are the new tenants..."
"Who?"
Ying Xiaoman shouted, "Tenants! We're just staying for a month or two!"
"Who?!"
"..."
Great, now he was deaf.
Late into the night, Ying Xiaoman held up a lantern to light the way as the Adoptive Mother tried to communicate across the narrow door. It wasn't clear how much the old servant next door understood, but in the end, he wiped away some tears and went back to his room to rest.
Seeing that something was amiss, Sui Miao quietly asked Ying Xiaoman, "How come there's an old servant living next door to the rented house? This could cause all sorts of trouble. Should I report back to the young master and have him removed?"
Ying Xiaoman quickly told him not to mention it.
They were only staying for a month or two, so why cause the old servant who had been watching over the old house for years to lose his home? That would be a sin.
But the unexpected situation meant that throughout the night, earth-shaking coughs occasionally came from the northwest direction.
Even Zhi couldn't sleep well.
The next day, Ying Xiaoman got up with unsteady steps and said to the equally sleepy-eyed Zhi, "We'll be back home soon. Just bear with it for now."
"Mm..."
After washing her face with cold water, Ying Xiaoman felt sorry for her adoptive mother, who was also walking unsteadily. She suggested, "Why don't we talk to the Shen family and see if we can switch to another courtyard? We can even pay the rent for them if needed."
The Adoptive Mother waved her hands repeatedly, "It's not for long, let's not trouble them. Mrs. Shen's health is worse than mine, we should be careful not to disturb her sleep and make her ill again. No need to change, no need to change."
Not only did they not change, but when brewing medicine in the morning, they also sent a bowl to the small northwest courtyard.
"He's coughing too violently!" The Adoptive Mother gestured exaggeratedly as she dealt with the half-deaf, half-blind old man.
Pointing at the bowl of medicine in her hand, she shouted and gestured, "It's for coughing, I'm drinking it too. Drink the medicine, yes, drink the medicine!"
The two female officials sent from the palace to teach etiquette arrived the next morning.
At first, hearing that the Ying family was staying at the Ministry of Justice's official residence, the two women went straight there in a carriage, only to find it empty.
Several main officials were in the middle of interrogations, so Sui Miao brought them directly to the Ying family's new residence in "Frog Alley."
As the carriage slowly stopped in front of the Ying family's door, the two female officials took out the bundles of etiquette teaching tools from the palace, stood straight-backed and solemn by the door, with scrutiny in their eyes.
"Is this where Miss Ying lives? We heard it's a female-headed household, with a mother and a young sister?"
"That's right." Sui Miao stepped forward to knock on the door.
The other female official surveyed the spotlessly clean entrance and nodded with satisfaction, "Looks like a disciplined family..."
Just as he knocked on the door, a sudden ear-splitting cough came from behind the door, completely drowning out the sound of knocking.
The Adoptive Mother's voice immediately rang out from behind the wall, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Why aren't you drinking the cough medicine I gave you this morning, old man? It's a good prescription from a skilled doctor, it won't harm you!"
Another strong, elderly voice shouted back, "What did you say?"
"Drink the medicine!"
"What did you say?"
Another clear voice joined in. Ying Xiaoman helped her mother shout, and the mother and daughter yelled together in the courtyard, "Drink the medicine!"
"..."
Outside the door, the two female officials' ears were ringing. One stumbled half a step back, nearly twisting her ankle; the other almost dropped the bundle from the palace.
"Is this... how the Ying family usually talks?"
The female officials were shocked, exchanging uneasy glances, "How can we bring them into the palace like this?"
Sui Miao panicked and quickly explained, "They usually speak very politely. It's just that the old servant next door is deaf, so they have to shout to be heard. You'll see when you meet the two aunts." Taking advantage of a brief moment of silence, he hurriedly went to knock on the door.
The tightly closed wooden door opened a crack, and a small head with braided hair peeked out. Seeing Sui Miao, Zhi smiled sweetly and turned back to call:
"Aunt, Sister, Brother Sui has brought two beautiful big sisters to our house~!"
The two female officials' expressions softened slightly, and they solemnly stepped over the threshold, each carrying their bundles of tools.
With a creak, the narrow door in the northwest corner closed. The old servant returned to his small courtyard, carrying the bowl of medicine that the Adoptive Mother had reheated.
Ying Xiaoman and the Adoptive Mother came forward to greet them, surprised.
Although Zhi had called them "beautiful big sisters," the two female officials were actually in their early thirties. They had worked in the palace for many years and were usually addressed as "Aunt" by the palace staff.
The taller one on the left with an oval face was called "Aunt Huang"; the slightly shorter one on the right with an egg-shaped face was called "Aunt Ji."
Both were from the Empress Dowager's Yongning Palace. Without much small talk, they began teaching palace etiquette after a brief exchange of greetings.
This was a big deal, having people from the palace visit, so the Adoptive Mother quickly took Zhi and retreated to their room, afraid of disturbing the important business.
For the entire morning that followed, Ying Xiaoman practiced curtsying and rising under the shade of the leafy parasol tree, over and over again...
Back straight, eyes forward, walk straight, turn corners, walk without swaying the skirt...
Aunt Ji inserted a pearl hair ornament into Ying Xiaoman's thick black hair and tied two jade pendants to her belt.
"Miss Ying must remember the walking posture we just taught. Alright, now walk forward a bit. If the hair ornament sways slightly, the skirt doesn't move, and the jade pendants make no sound, you pass. If there's a lot of swaying and the jade pendants clink loudly, you'll have to practice over and over."
Ying Xiaoman walked all morning.
The jade pendants clinked and clanked non-stop.
No matter how the two female officials instructed or shouted "Wrong!", she just kept walking her own way.
At noon, the palace servants who came with them brought out food boxes and iced drinks. The two female officials sat slumped in wooden chairs, their eyes glazed over. Ying Xiaoman took off the pearl hair ornament and jade pendants, carefully inspected them, and found that none were damaged.
She happily cupped them in her hands and offered them back, "What a beautiful hair ornament, I was worried I might have shaken it apart. The jade pendants aren't broken either. Would you two aunts like to keep them for now? Once you've rested, we can continue practicing this afternoon."
Aunt Ji gulped down her iced drink to soothe her nearly hoarse throat and discussed with Aunt Huang raspily, "I don't think we need to practice anymore. It's useless to continue..."
Aunt Huang, slumped in her wooden chair, replied equally hoarsely, "Perhaps we've been thinking about this the wrong way. The Empress Dowager herself praised her 'pure and natural quality, uncarved and unadorned.' Why should we try so hard to carve this uncut jade? If we carve her according to a mold, wouldn't that lose the 'pure and natural quality'?"
Having agreed on how to report back to the Empress Dowager, they felt relieved and managed to straighten their slumped shoulders and backs.
"No need to practice anymore. Miss Ying should just walk as she normally does when entering the palace."
"This afternoon, we'll practice verbal responses. When faced with important people, no matter how 'pure, natural, and honest' you are, you must not be disrespectful in your replies."
The afternoon sun gradually slanted westward, casting shadows over the courtyard wall.
Ying Xiaoman practiced verbal responses all afternoon, learning phrases like "This commoner is here," "This commoner does not know," "Thank you for the Empress Dowager's great kindness," and "This commoner takes her leave."
"Even if you don't know how to respond, never remain silent. That's extremely disrespectful," Aunt Huang specifically instructed. "If you truly don't know how to answer, just smile and say, 'This commoner doesn't know how to respond.'"
"Exactly," Aunt Ji agreed. "Young Miss Ying has such a lovely appearance. When the Empress Dowager, at her age, sees you smiling, she'll surely be delighted. Even if there are others around, she won't easily give you a hard time. If you don't know how to answer, just smile."
Ying Xiaoman: "Oh."
Aunt Huang suddenly became three degrees more vigilant, her face stern as she reminded, "Don't say 'oh' in front of important people. Say 'yes.'"
"Oh... yes."
As dusk fell, the giant parasol tree's shadow enveloped the small courtyard. The two aunts bid farewell.
"We'll come again tomorrow morning," Aunt Huang said solemnly, holding her bundle at the door. "Young Miss Ying has much to learn. Fortunately, there's still time, so we can teach slowly."
They're coming again tomorrow? Ying Xiaoman felt a bit troubled, realizing she wouldn't be able to open her meat shop.
She said reluctantly, "Alright."
Both aunts simultaneously stopped and turned back, their four eyes silently reproaching. Ying Xiaoman quickly corrected herself: "...Yes."
As the carriage slowly drove out of the small lane, Zhi bounced along behind it. Ying Xiaoman ran out to bring the little girl back.
Just as they reached the narrow entrance of the alley, several horses turned in. As they passed by the palace carriage, both sides came to a halt. Two female officials got down from the carriage and curtsied, while those on horseback stopped to exchange pleasantries.
The lantern hanging in front of the carriage lit up the surroundings of the alley entrance. Zhi pointed excitedly towards the front, "Sister, the Seventh Young Master is here!"
It was indeed Yan Rongshi riding into the alley.
Several guards were in front and behind, with a small carriage following.
The narrow alley couldn't accommodate two carriages side by side, so the carriage behind could only turn in after the palace carriage had left. Ying Xiaoman stood at the doorway holding Zhi's hand, hearing the quick clip-clop of approaching hooves. As the figure on horseback drew near their home, her eyes unconsciously curved into crescent moons.
"You're early today," she said, looking up at the sky that hadn't completely darkened yet. "Is the case finished?"
"The case is still ongoing. But when Sui Miao reported that your new residence was in Hetou Alley, I had to come and see," Yan Rongshi said casually as he dismounted, scooping up Zhi who was reaching out for a hug at the door, and patting her little head.
"I heard you have an old servant living here?" He scanned the surroundings as he stepped inside.
"Yes, there's a half-deaf, half-blind old man living here," Ying Xiaoman said, also feeling puzzled. "He was coughing on and off this afternoon, but why is there no sound now..."
Before she finished speaking, a thunderous cough erupted from the northwest corner.
"That's more like it," Ying Xiaoman said happily. "The old man is robust, his cough is loud too. I've listened carefully, there's no phlegm in his cough, so the old man's lungs are fine."
Yan Rongshi's gaze fixed on the closed narrow door in the northwest corner.
After a moment, he looked away and said casually, "Old people always have various ailments at their age, no need to worry too much."
Yan's personal attendant lit lanterns in the courtyard. The Adoptive Mother came out to greet them, delighted to see the Seventh Young Master. She immediately spread a tablecloth and brought out a whole lotus leaf-wrapped chicken they had made that day.
Along with some seasonal fresh fruits that had been brought over that evening, the aroma of food filled the air. The three members of the Ying family and Yan Rongshi sat around the wooden table, eating, drinking, and chatting casually.
"The two female officials who came today were quite fierce," the Adoptive Mother said, still feeling a bit shaken. "They started teaching rules right away without any small talk. They taught walking all morning and speaking all afternoon. How can there be so many rules in the palace?"
Ying Xiaoman, peeling an orange, said, "They seemed fierce at first glance. But both aunts are actually quite nice, teaching over and over again, very patient. And after all that teaching, the palace rules aren't that many. In the end, the two aunts said I should just walk normally. If I don't know what to say, just say 'This commoner doesn't know.'"
Yan Rongshi understood about seven-tenths of what had happened.
Recalling the exhausted expressions and hoarse voices of the two female officials when they exchanged greetings at the alley entrance...
He felt somewhat relieved and opened the steamed lotus leaf on the table. Amidst the fragrance that filled the courtyard, he cut a chicken leg for the Adoptive Mother, another for Ying Xiaoman, and reserved two chicken wings for Zhi:
"What the two female officials said is very correct. For ordinary inquiries, ordinary responses are fine. However, palace affairs are complex, and in case you encounter crucial questions, just answering 'I don't know' might not be sufficient. One of my purposes in coming tonight is to practice some uncommon responses with you."
As she listened, the Adoptive Mother couldn't help but become nervous.
"What are these crucial questions?"
"For example..." Yan Rongshi took a small knife and slowly cut meat along the chicken's skeleton.
"If the Empress Dowager likes Xiaoman and wants her to stay in the palace for a few days. How to politely decline."
"If someone around the Empress Dowager suggests that since Xiaoman is unmarried, they should arrange a marriage on the spot. How to politely decline."
"If the Empress Dowager, being a relative of Young Master Yan, has heard some anecdotes and asks Xiaoman about them face to face. How to tactfully inform about Young Master Yan's misdeeds without angering the Empress Dowager."
"..."
As she listened, Ying Xiaoman ate more and more slowly. Even the lotus leaf-wrapped chicken leg, a family specialty, didn't taste good anymore.
"Do I really have to enter the palace?" she muttered softly. "You're teaching me all these ways of speaking now. But when I actually enter the palace and stand before the important people, I might forget everything if I get nervous..."
Yan Rongshi reassured her, "It's alright. The key to responding lies in speaking the truth. If you're saying the truth, you won't forget it when the time comes."
His reasoning made sense. From the Adoptive Mother to Ying Xiaoman, everyone agreed.
After they had eaten most of the late-night snacks, the Adoptive Mother cleared the table and took Zhi back to the room to put her to sleep.
Yan Rongshi got up to wash his hands, then returned to sit next to Ying Xiaoman at the table. While continuing to peel oranges, he began to teach her in detail, sentence by sentence.
"The Empress Dowager values filial piety. If she wants you to stay in the palace for a short while, you can reply that you can't bear to leave your mother at home. Say that your mother is not in good health, suffering from coughs and dizziness, and you also have a four-year-old younger sister who needs constant care, so you need to return home to look after them."
"If someone asks about your marital status, just say you're not yet married, but before your father passed away in your hometown, he instructed you to come to the capital to find someone."
"If the Empress Dowager asks about your relationship with Young Master Yan, you don't need to embellish. Just tell the truth from the beginning. Explain how you first arrived in the capital in February to look for someone, how you mistakenly entered the Yan family's house and were almost tricked into signing a contract, and how you were thrown out. Mention that Young Master Yan went to look for you in Tongluo Alley in the south of the city, but fortunately, the Ying family had moved, so you avoided each other in time."
At this point, Yan Rongshi paused, "That should be enough. The Empress Dowager is surrounded by clever people, they will naturally change the subject."
Ying Xiaoman thought through everything carefully from beginning to end. Indeed, it was all the truth, and following the responses Seventh Young Master had taught her, it wouldn't be difficult to answer.
"Should I only say I came to the capital to look for someone?" Ying Xiaoman asked cautiously. "Is it not good to mention that my father told me to come to the capital for revenge when speaking to important people?"
"It's not good to mention that," Yan Rongshi was particularly careful in his instructions at this crucial point:
"The words 'seek revenge' should never be mentioned from beginning to end in front of the important people in the palace. Just say that your father used to work in the capital and knew many old friends, then later went to live in seclusion in a small village by the Han River. Before he died, your father held your hand and earnestly instructed you to come to the capital to find someone."
"If someone then asks if you found them, just truthfully say that you did, the Seventh Young Master of the Yan family in Changle Alley."
Ying Xiaoman blinked.
Every sentence was the truth, no doubt, but when strung together... why did it feel a bit off somehow?!